Listen

The Ph.D. program in "Economics, Business and Statistics" represents the third-level educational offering of the Department of Economics, Business, and Statistics (DSEAS). The objective of the Ph.D. program is to provide students with advanced knowledge and skills to analyze and understand complex real-world phenomena related to economic, financial, managerial, and social sciences. Statistical methodologies for empirical research, with a particular emphasis on the behaviors and performances of economic agents (e.g., consumers, businesses, non-profit organizations, and public entities), as well as the State, central banks, and other national and supranational independent authorities, are of central relevance and interest.

The current educational proposal enriches the content of the previous Ph.D. in "Economics and Statistics" offered by DSEAS since 2015. Indeed, the previous proposal, focused on theoretical and applied developments in Statistics, the measurement, and empirical analysis of economic and social phenomena, is enriched by the contribution of the Accounting, Management, and Organization research tradition, which has always been present in our Department. Therefore, the doctoral candidates will also be provided with advanced knowledge and skills to investigate the management, organization, and control of firms, as well as their main functions (namely, finance, marketing, and production).

The Ph.D. project moves along three main directions: (a) the University's 2021-2023 strategic plan, aiming to "strengthen basic research, applied research, and scientific project planning to address emerging challenges nationally and internationally." Indeed, the primary objective of the Ph.D. is to provide advanced knowledge and skills for high-impact research for the academic community and the territory, with a particular focus on economic and social phenomena; (b) the strategic axes of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) related to digitization and innovation, ecological transition, and social inclusion. Advanced knowledge and skills for economic and social research are necessary for any scenario analysis, a prerequisite for policy or entrepreneurial decisions, as well as for evaluating the performance of digitization processes, sustainable development, gender gap reduction, promotion of legality, etc.; (c) the demands of stakeholders - informally listened to - who require specialized professional roles for the management and analysis of information flows related to economic and business phenomena.

The educational project consists of three curricula: (a) Economics and Finance; (b) Business and Management; (c) Statistics and Applied Mathematics.

The “Economics and Finance" curriculum aims to train scholars capable of developing analytical and computational tools for the analysis of data on market balances and dynamics (including financial markets).

The "Business and Management" curriculum aims to train scholars with a theoretical and methodological background that allows them to develop innovative studies for the advancement of research in accounting, management, and organization, referring to firms of various sizes and sectors (including the banking sector).

Finally, the "Statistics and Applied Mathematics" curriculum aims to train scholars capable of developing statistical methodologies and their computational implementations for the study of economic, social, and health phenomena.

However, the major educational challenge of the Ph.D. - following the tradition of the previous program in "Economics and Statistics" - is to implement an interdisciplinary approach that enhances education and, simultaneously, facilitates the development of a knowledge integration process. This process, stemming from data analysis, helps provide meaning to the data, interpret the results, and foster new scientific discoveries. This interdisciplinary approach will be consolidated through team-building meetings and the construction of research teams with different disciplinary knowledge. At the end of the Ph.D. course, students will have acquired the ability to conduct research activities with interactive collaboration both with researchers and professors from various disciplines involved in the Ph.D. project, and with professional roles from the private sector or public administration.

Listen

The Ph.D. program, in summary, includes the following points:

1. Training and participation activities, as attendees, in seminars related to the distinctive disciplines and those related to the chosen Ph.D. curriculum;
2. Conducting, under the guidance of a supervising professor, a research program - articulated in at least 3 distinct contributions in English - approved by the Doctoral Board and related to a disciplinary field among those specified by the Ph.D.;
3. Additional training activities complementary to research, including cross-cutting activities, such as improving specialized scientific language proficiency in both Italian and foreign languages, developing advanced computer skills, training in research management and intellectual property valorization, knowledge of European and international research systems, and elements of European design;
4. Marginally and residually, subsidiary or integrative ing assigned to the Ph.D. candidate.

Finally, Ph.D. candidates will be encouraged to participate in the department's life, present advancements in their research work in seminars and international conferences, and attend specialized summer schools.

The attainment of the Doctoral degree is subject to the acquisition of 180 ECTS (60 per year), certified by a document outlining/summarizing the activities carried out, prepared by the Ph.D. candidate and accompanied by an evaluation signed by the supervising professor. At the beginning of each academic year, the Ph.D. candidates will present their training programs to the Doctoral Board who will approve them. The activities that the Ph.D. candidate intends to undertake during the year and the corresponding educational credits must be approved by the supervising professor and the Ph.D. coordinator.

Educational credits are divided based on the following criteria:

1. 24 to 36 for training courses with a final assessment;
2. 6 to 14 for seminar activities without a final assessment;
3. 0 to 15 for subsidiary or integrative ing activities assigned to the Ph.D. candidate (seminars for master's degree students, thesis assistance, exercises, exams), equivalent to no more than 40 hours of academic commitment per year, as established in Article 13, point 5) of the Ph.D. Regulation of the University of Palermo;
4. 115 to 150 for independent research activities that conclude with the preparation of the doctoral thesis.

The Ph.D. program envisions a temporal structure oriented in the initial phase towards common training activities, mainly carried out in the first and second years. The Ph.D. candidate's training activities include a study and research period, lasting a minimum of six months, to be spent at one or more foreign universities or research institutions.

The transition to years beyond the first occurs through an English-language presentation of the training and research path undertaken. This presentation should illustrate:

• Research objectives based on a literature review;
• Research methods and data used or intended to be used;
• Expected and/or obtained results;
• Timetable for the progress of the thesis;
• Presentation of research results related to the thesis at other universities and/or conferences;
• Participation in research groups;
• Publications;
• International experiences;
• Other training activities undertaken.

Listen

Background and research project

Admission will be based on the evaluation of the CV and the research proposal of the candidate. Eligible candidates hold excellent score levels in previous master studies (the Italian Laurea Magistrale or equivalent foreign degree which will be assessed by the selection committee), post-degree experiences with specific emphasis on scientific research in economics and/or statistics (for example, internships in economic or financial institutions, statistical data analysis, etc.), prizes, awards and other credentials.
Applications by students with a background other than economics or statistics, such as political sciences, social sciences, mathematics, engineering, physics etc, are strongly encouraged.
The research project will play a relevant role in the final admission decision. The project can be written in Italian or English. The research project has to contain the main objectives of the research to be carried out. The objectives must be clearly specified and address one or more open scientific questions. The objective must be relevant and it has to refer to the state-of-the-art of the literature in the chosen field and published in leading academic journal. Finally, the research project has to be coherent with the main research interest of the department, as synthetically described in the research areas.
The research potential of the candidate will be assessed through an interview (online interviews are also possible). Non-English candidates have to give their interview in English. Italian candidates have to show their English fluency. Although language certifications are not required, they will be considered by the admission committee.

Expression of interest

A PhD is about learning new skills, how to do research, and becoming an independent researcher. We recognise that students will come to us from different backgrounds in order to learn these new skills and we welcome interest from domestic and international students.
Before applying for a PhD with our department, you should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI).
Basically, you should review our research areas, and individual researchers and their expertise or ongoing research. This will provide you with an understanding of the research undertaken at our department, and give you an indication of the possible areas of research study. This will also assist you in writing a research proposal for your EOI submission.
Interested candidates are invited to submit an EOI to vito.muggeo@unipa.it, enclosing:

• a Curriculum Vitae (mentioning if a Master degree is expected before October);

• a one-page research statement, falling within one of the research fields listed below;

• any other documents (such as research papers, Master dissertation, GRE, TOEFL) that may help to assess the candidate’s qualifications.

It is best to enquire well ahead (at least two months) before the open date of formal application (usually June). Note that, the EOI is not the formal application. Candidates must send a formal application after the official call opens.
The formal application has to be sent in due time with all documents indicated in the official call (including the CV) and represents the only way for being considered by the admission committee.
For more information on the formal admission procedure please click here.

Scholarships

Usually, up to six students are admitted to the program each year. One position is reserved for non-Italian students (students who graduated abroad). The salary is approximately 12.300 euro per year (net of taxes) . The duration of each scholarship is 3 years, subject to performance. The monthly allowance can be increased up to 50% for students visiting a research institution or University abroad. Starting in the second year, there are also allowances for short-period mobility.

Research Areas

An illustrative, but not exhaustive, list of research fields include:

• Mathematical and Quantitative Methods: Optimization techniques, Programming models, Computational techniques, Simulation modeling, Quantitative policy modeling, Big data analytics, Network analysis, Large scale optimization, Quantitative finance, Option pricing, Insurance models, Contingent debt instruments, Debt sustainability analysis.

• Financial Economics: Asset Pricing, Banking and Financial Services, Behavioural Finance, Corporate Finance, Corporate Governance, Credit management, Financial Accounting, Financial Econometrics, Risk Assessment, Finance and Risk Management.

• Economics: Macroeconomic Policy, Monetary Policy, Fiscal policy, Forecasting and business cycles analysis, Institutional and Development Economics, International Economics, Auction Theory, Behavioral Economics, Decision Theory, Game Theory, Industrial Organization.

• Applied economics: Health Economics, Industrial Economics, Pensions and Insurance, Public Economics and Regulation, Regional Economics.

• Statistics: Biostatistics, Medical Statistics, Demography, Data Science, Computational Statistics, Statistical Methods, Quantitative Methods in Regional Science, Spatial Economic Data Analysis, Productivity Analysis, Business Analytics, Policy Evaluation Analysis, Tourism Data Analysis, Empirical Economic Analysis.

• Management: Management and Governance of Firms and Interfirm Relations, Corporate and Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Corporate Finance, Marketing, Production and Logistics, Organization Theory, Organizational Behavior, Business Economics, Business Ethics, International Accounting, Accounting History, Budget and Control Systems, Family Business Management, Banking and Financial Institutions Management.